Haggard Says He Bought Meth But Didn't Use It, Just Got A Massage
This sounds eerily reminiscent of "I didn't inhale." From CNN
The Rev. Ted Haggard, who resigned as one of the nation's top evangelical leaders, admitted Friday he had contacted male prostitute Mike Jones "for a massage" and bought drugs from him.Haggard said he never had sex with Jones and never used the methamphetamine drug he bought.
He told reporters earlier this week that he did not know Jones, who claims to have had a three-year sex-for-money relationship with him.
Haggard, 50, resigned Thursday as leader of the National Association of Evangelicals -- a group representing more than 45,000 churches and 30 million people -- and he also stepped down temporarily from leadership at New Life Church in Colorado Springs.
He was one of a group of religious leaders who regularly participated in conference calls with White House aides.
Haggard told CNN affiliate KUSA-TV Friday that he received Jones' name as "a referral" from a hotel where he was staying in Denver.
He did not name the hotel. "I did call him," Haggard said. "I called him to buy some meth, but I threw it away."
"I was buying it for me but I never used it. I was tempted, I bought it, but I never used it."
"He told me about it. I went there for a massage."
Earlier, Jones said he would not back down from his allegations despite a polygraph test that showed "deception."
Jones took the test voluntarily, answering questions about his alleged ties with the Haggard, who regularly participates in White House advisory conference calls.
Test administrator John Kresnik said the results "did show deception" but that Jones was physically and mentally exhausted. Kresnik said he would like to take the test again after Jones had slept and eaten, which could provide more trustworthy results. (Watch Haggard's response to whether he knows gay men in Denver -- 2:07 )
The Rev. Ross Parsley, who assumed leadership of Haggard's church, said Haggard had made "some admission of indiscretion -- not an admission to all of the material that has been discussed, but there is an admission of some guilt."
Bill McCartney
